The Dog Days of August have got me down. I don’t know whether to bark, have a nap or chase my mailman around. Come to think of it, he might be carrying a gun…maybe a nap would be safer. But before I head off, let’s bring you the latest fantasy happenings as Spikes Up sees them.
A-Rod Not a Clutch Hitter?
Alex Rodriguez, or “E-Rod,” as he’s becoming affectionately known because of his mounting error totals, has been vilified for his inability to come through in key situations, in addition to his puzzlingly bad defense of late.
But is that really a fair assessment of A-Rod? Let’s compare some of his numbers to a player most consider to be the King of Clutch, David Ortiz. With runners on, Rodriguez is batting .287 compared to Ortiz at .291. Pretty damn close. When those runners are in scoring position, it’s .285 for A-Rod and .289 for Big Papi. Again, a virtual wash. And when there are two out and runners are in scoring position? Advantage, Rodriguez, .302 to .286.
Where Big Papi earns his rep is in “close and late” situations, defined as the seventh inning or later when the batting team is either ahead by a run, tied or has the potential tying run on deck or better. Now, it’s a smaller sample size (68 at-bats for Ortiz, 64 for A-Rod), but Big Papi dominates here, .324 to .219.
Still, considering the general perception, the scorn thrown at Rodriguez may not be deserved. At least the numbers suggest it’s not deserved.
The Idiot Strikes Back
As the Yanks battered the Bosox in the first three games of a pivotal five-game set, one man seemed to make more difference than any player on the field: Johnny Damon. The dimension he’s added to the New York attack and that’s dormant from the Bosox has never been more apparent than during these games.
All Damon did was go 3-for-6 three straight times, with five runs and eight RBI. Six of his nine hits went for extra bases with three doubles, a triple and two home runs. At the age of 32, Damon is having perhaps his finest season, certainly from a power perspective. With 20 homers, he’s already matched his career best, set during the Bosox World Series season.
Ah, nothing like rubbing salt in the wound.
More on the Bosox-Yanks
Hey, what can I say? These are dog days for a reason, so we take our excitement where we can get it, and this series has been exciting, even if gut wrenching from the Bosox fan perspective.
Friday night’s game (that would be after they had already played an afternoon tilt that day), won by the Yanks, 14-11, lasted four hours and 45 minutes. That’s a new major league record for a nine-inning game. Saturday’s game, 13-5 Yanks, lasted just 3:41. I can just imagine what fans of National League ball are thinking when they watch these marathons.
Abreu Providing Spark
Even though the Yanks have him batting third, Bobby Abreu is really not much of a power hitter anymore. However, as he ages, he would still make a great two-hole man, as he’s left-handed, gets on base a ton and has great speed.
Earlier, we talked about Damon being the difference this year between New York and Boston. Well, throw Abreu into the mix, as in the Yankees went out and got him, and Boston didn’t. Sure, the Bosox got new Fenway cult hero Eric Hinske, but that adoration will wear off as soon as Red Sox Nation realizes that Hinske’s biggest impact will be on the buffet table.
I mean, do you think Hinkse would ever be able to duplicate what Abreu is doing in this series? Check out this damage: 7-for-13 with three doubles, four runs and two walks. Abreu has also walked five times, meaning he’s been on base 12 times in 18 plate appearances. I guess that will do.
In 19 games since Abreu joined the Yanks, he’s only got one homer, but has swiped seven bags, is batting almost .400 and – get this – his OBP is a ridiculous .494. Yeah, I’d say he’s made a difference.
I wonder how Houston’s feeling these days, considering it chose to protect Richard Hidalgo over Abreu in the expansion draft when the Rays and D-Backs joined the bigs. Of course, Tampa Bay equally dropped the ball on that one, after picking Abreu and dealing him for Kevin Stocker. All Abreu has done since is bat .305 with 196 homers and 261 steals in 1,372 games. Think the Rays could have used that kind of stabilizing force in their lineup for the last decade?
More on the Hinske Deal
Maybe adding Hinske won’t change the pennant race, but looking at the deal from a big picture standpoint, it makes more sense than you’d think. From Toronto’s perspective, it helps them ease a logjam, as the Jays seemed to have cornered the market on corner players. And Reed Johnson and Alex Rios need to be in the lineup every day, so this helps, both this season and going forward.
For Boston, Hinske helps alleviate the Red Sox’s sudden vulnerability against righties. Because Trot Nixon and switch-hitting Jason Varitek are out, other than Ortiz and switch hitting Coco Crisp, Boston was all right-handed. Hinske provides more balance there. When Nixon returns, Hinske’s PT will shrink, but looking forward, Nixon is a free agent at the end of the season, and Boston is not expected to re-sign him. Hinske, however, is under contract for 2007, so at least Boston has a back-up plan assuming Nixon bolts from Beantown and prospect David Murphy isn’t ready for an everyday job.
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NEXT: Who knows? I might be hit by a Mack truck this week. Failing that, perhaps Spikes Up will appear on August 28.
Comments? Questions? Criticisms or witticisms? You can reach me at rob@creativesports.com if you’d like further information or have a question you’d like me to answer in an upcoming column. Have a suggestion for a column or want to hear analysis about a particular player? Feel free to write. I might even answer!
Rob Blackstien is a freelance writer and the principal of Pen-Ultimate (www.pen-ultimate.ca), a Toronto-based writing and editorial services firm. Position Battles, a column he writes for www.rotoworld.com, also appears on usatoday.com and foxsports.com. He posts fantasy baseball news on Rotoworld, and he's also done baseball writing for BaseballNotebook.com and the Fantasy Baseball Guide magazine. Rob’s latest venture, www.rotorob.com, features daily fantasy sports analysis with an edge.